Better Dig Two
by fatelessfalling
Summary: When a boy commits suicide around Historia Reiss, no one understand the correlation except those who belong to the Saint Maria's School for Girls. One unfortunate event lays out her entire future and explains her past, held in the secrets of the walls and the charms spun by song. Hermione Granger has nothing on these witches.
1. Bottom of the River

This will be my first big contribution to the Yumikuri fandom, and the SNK fandom. I'm looking forward to this being a fun ride, but please, this will contain triggering material so always check the notes at the beginning in case you have a trigger.

Triggers for this chapter: drowning, violence, manipulation, death.

I'm shooting for an update a week, but I might put out two if I have the ability to do so.

If you want the song in the chapter, it's called Bottom of the River by Delta Rae.

* * *

"Oh, Daddy ain't gonna be happy wit' ya, Hannah." The girl in the doorway taunted, a twisted smirk curling on her pretty face. A stark contrast to her twin's mortal terror, frozen in her place by her sister's presence.

A deeper voice came from behind the girl in front, interrupting the stare off between the two blondes. "N-No! Miss Reiss, ya ain't gotta tell the mast'ah 'bout this!" The slave woman's voice laced with the fear her lover felt but could not speak.

Her sun darkened skin clashed with the pale flesh of Hannah's as she scrambled to pull her up from the ground.

"Miss Reiss—"  
"Sarah—"

"Silent," Sarah commanded, enjoying the power she had. Her perfect sister caught rolling around with the monstrous slave? Oh, the scandal she could tell her friends and absolutely ruin Hannah's chance with any good man in the town. "Y'know wha', sis? If it wer'n't for th' fact ya let th' freak talk for ya, I might'a let ya get away wit' this but you ain't got a single word t'say!" She laughed, pushing her sister's lover out of the way to pin Hannah to the wall.

"Daddy'll be so cross! He might whip both'a'ya t'death for tarnishing our good name! I can't imagine the hoots an' hollers y'all'll get from e'eryone!"

Hannah's dark eyes went wide, her stomach rising into her throat. No! She wouldn't let Lawry get injured on her behalf again! They were so close to making it out of the town and up north where she could be a free person! Blue met brown in a brief moment, her eyes flashing panic and anger. "Sarah, father won't care 'bout me bein' wit' a slave if there ain't no one to tell 'em."

Fair brows knitted together, confused. "I don' think ya understan'. Y'ain't talkin' yer way out of thi—"

A sickening crack of stone against bone echoed through Hannah's ears as Sarah fell to the ground and Lawry kept her eyes locked on Hannah.

Stepping over her sister's body, she leaned over, watching for her chest to rise and fall to signal life.

"'nah?" Lawry asked, shaking as she reached for Hannah's wrist to pull her back up. "Wha've I done? Wha' did ya make m'do!" Her voice started to rise as everything set in. She hit a white woman—her owner's daughter—with a rock! She was going to hang high for sure!

Gentle hands manipulated Lawry's face to look at Hannah's, panicked but calming. "I… I couldn't let 'er hurt ya'! I acted on wha' Momma taught us and y'were the nearest person!"

"Yer Momma died fer usin' that!" The older woman said, shaking Hannah roughly.

Hannah yanked Lawry down for a kiss, if only to silence her for a moment, before letting her go. "Help me move 'er t' the last shack in the village. We'll fix this t'night." She said, holding Lawry's hand to her chest, over her heart. "Trus' me, m'love. Jus' trus' me."

* * *

As daylight turned to dusk, and dusk to moonlight, the two waited separately, waiting for candles to go out. It was going too slow for Hannah's liking. Her daddy would be asking questions before breakfast the next morning about her sister.

Out the backdoor and down the path, bare feet made no sound on the grass or footpaths. Neither lover said a word as they found one another. There was nothing to say. It was their safety over hers, and no one would truly miss the girl, right? She made people miserable for fun, claiming to be touched or harassed by slaves to see them whipped… Hannah couldn't imagine a sicker mind.

"Did y' bring th' cotton like I asked?" Hannah murmured as she glanced up, waiting for Lawry to nod.

"Ay. Are ya sure ya don' need it?" She replied, pulling out the pieces picked from the land and looked to the blonde she stupidly fell in love with.

Hannah shook her head. "She ain't got th' ability t' control me. Shared womb, shared soul. Put 'em in, Lawry." She pulled open the door to the shack, finding the same face that had stared at her for her entire life, disgruntled and cross.

Almost immediately, Sarah started to thrash around, making as much noise as possible to ring out through the thick, damp southern air. The gag was tight, but she could still slam her feet down and make a ruckus.

"Get 'er legs." Hannah stepped down on Sarah's knees, keeping her from moving until Lawry had them. She wanted this done as fast as possible, lest someone catch them. "And put yer cotton in. Thick an' deep."

Her weight was nothing to the slave worker, handling Sarah like a bale of hay as Hannah walked behind her. Reaching forward, she took the gag from her sister's mouth.

Sarah coughed, rotating her jaw with a dry laugh. "Really funny, Hannah. Y'ain't got th' gall t' hurt me."

"I ain't said I would hurt ya. Yer my blood. Blood harming blood has it's consequences." Hannah stepped over a puddle with grace, lifting her skirt to not get it dirty. "I can't let y' ruin wha' we've got planned."

Another laugh ripped from her throat, cut short by Lawry adjusting her on her shoulder. "An' wha've ya got planned? Run off wit' th' slave an' have a family? Is she gonna pretend t' be a man an' you'll marry 'er? So niave, Hannah."

"Shut yer mouth. Ain't no one gonna judge us up there but God 'imself." The blonde shook her head with a smile, soft and sweet. Married? They had already snuck off and done that, blessed by Marcus in the village. No one else could make her believe differently.

The silence enveloped them, only the sound of footsteps to keep them company with Lawry deaf with cotton.

Softly, Sarah started to hum a familiar tune, mumbling the words under her breath.

"It's not gonna work. No one here t'hear but me an' I can't fall fer it." Hannah said, looking ahead to see the lake on their neighbor's land.

" _The lord's gonna come for yer first born son,_ " Sarah continued, getting more clear word by word. " _The Lord's gonna come for your first born son. His hair's on fire and his heart is burning. Go to the river where the water runs. Wash him deep where the tides are turning._ " Twin sets of dark blue eyes locked on one another. " _And if you fall… And if… you… fall..._ "

The longer she sang, the more twisted her face became. The edges of Hannah's vision started to go dark. Thin wisps of dark smoke lapped around her, answering to their owner's calling.

Hannah gently pushed on Lawry's back, beckoning her to go faster. That song only meant trouble.

" _The wolves will chase you by the pale moonlight… drunk and driven by a devil's hunger,_ " Sarah sang louder, in no rush to finish, as if the mere threat of the song was enough.

"It's not gonna work, Sarah! I won' let ya take 'er away from me!" Hannah said louder, her once confident and sweet expression regaining it's apathetic facade she used to mask her unwanted emotions.

" _Drive your son like a railroad spike! Into the water, let it pull him under~!_ " Undeterred, she continued, adding a giggle in. This was fun. Death was never a threat to their kind. She would be reborn, just like Momma said.

Scowling, Hannah pushed Lawry faster, determined to get her to stop singing and cut her song short. The two stopped at the edge of the water, just long enough for Hannah to come forward and rip Sarah from Lawry's shoulder.

The twin screamed as she fell into the water, but as she surfaced, her song rang loud and clear. Panic was setting in for Hannah. Her vision getting darker.

"Hannah- there's somethin' here wit' us-" Lawry nearly shouted, ears clogged with cotton.

" _Don't you lift him, let him drown alive. The good Lord speaks like a rolling thunder!_ " Sarah barely kept herself above water with her limbs tied, treading water to finish her song. " _Let that fever make the water rise and let the river run dry!_ "

Acting on impulse, Hannah jumped into the water. The song had to stop! Sarah had to be silenced! " _It's a long way down to the bottom of the river! Hold my hand!_ "

A shout came from Lawry on the ledge, falling on deaf ears. "Wha're ya doin'!? Y'can't hurt 'er!" Lawry reached down into the water, trying to ignore the demons dancing around them. Her hand hooked into Hannah's dress, pulling her back.

" _Long way down, long way down!_ " Sarah finished, laughing harder as Hannah fought to get away from Lawry. "We're bound, sis! We ain't meant to be apart! Yer hands put m' in here! My blood will bathe yer hands for a millennium now!"

Ripping away from Lawry, Hannah lunged at Sarah and held her under the water. "Damn ya! Damn ya and yer corrupt soul!" She screamed, angered by her sister's words and the actions that led them to the lake.

Sarah's body fought for a while longer, struggling for air even as her spirits swirled around the lovers. Hannah only wanted a happy ending for her and Lawry. She couldn't have cared less about anyone else. Blood or not, but Sarah had to ruin it! She had to ruin everything!

Her anger fueled her movements and will, no longer concerned about people hearing or finding them.

It seemed like an eternity, but Sarah soon went limp and stopped struggling, leaving Hannah panting for breath and her vision clearing. "Lawry… Lawry we did it!" Hannah said, turning back toward the lake edge. "Lawry…?"

The tall brunette stood there, her eyes solid black as the last wisps of the demon's smoke curled into her mouth and unclogged ears. "Lawry!" Hannah trudged up to the shore, catching her freckled lover before she hit the ground. "What've ya done?!"

In a blink of an eye, the black of Lawry's eyes disappeared, leaking out of her body as it went in, leaving a black mark on the side of her throat. "H-Hannah?"

"I'm here! I'm here…" She said, holding Lawry's face to see if she was okay. "Are ya…" Hannah knew better than to ask if Lawry was who she was. There was no way to tell if the demon had stayed or if they had only marked her. "Who married us?" She asked, tears brimming. This wasn't supposed to happen…

"W-What kinda question is tha', Han? Marcus… right? Right?"

Hannah laughed softly, resting her forehead against Lawry's, gripping her wife as tight as possible.

"Historia?"

The blonde sat up, staring at Lawry, eyebrows came together. "Whose Historia?"

"Historia, get up!"

* * *

All too suddenly, the world that seemed so real shattered in front of the blonde, sitting up as she clutched her chest. Her heart raced; it was as if she had been there, doing it herself. Every inch of her ached, burning with every movement as she fought to find her footing and awake headspace.

Right. Historia, not Hannah. I really need to stop watching old southern movies when I'm trying to sleep.

"If you don't hurry, the inquisition will be here before you're even dressed." Having forgotten about the person waking her up, Historia jumped and looked to her left to see her roommate, Annie, looking at her with the utmost apathy she had ever seen someone wear. "Get your ass up and down there before they drag you down. Or don't. It's been a while since we've had entertainment like Hanji dragging a girl out." Annie turned, going back outside their room and to whatever it was Annie did during the day. The girl was downright displeasing, but Historia was sure she had her strong points.

She turned to get out of the bed, placing her feet on the cold wooden floor.

It had only been a few days since she arrived to Saint Maria's School for Girls. And she wanted nothing to do with this today.

* * *

As always, I'm open for critiques and reviews help me more than you know! You can leave them here or at findingmyownhonor on tumblr! :D


	2. Treading Water

Thank you those of you who have given this story a chance! I'm still shooting for an update a week, though the day of the week might change next week since I will be out of town.

Trigger warnings: death, suicide, talk of burning, threatening situations.

* * *

Even with Annie's warning, it took Historia far too long to get dressed. Her brain felt like muck and her muscles made of stone. Every movement was heavy and uncoordinated as she maneuvered the closet. Apparently drowning someone in a dream was a hell of a work out, and one that she would be happy to never do again.

Standing with her shoulder on the threshold of the closet door, she stared at the small portion of clothes she had brought with her, unable to tell the difference between any of the patterns.

Not that there was a huge selection since most of her wardrobe was leggings and oversized sweaters this time of year. It looked like she truly didn't care what she looked like, and it wasn't that far from the truth. No one saw her because she was reclusive, so what did it matter what Historia wore on a daily basis?

Historia turned her head to look at Annie's clothes. While hiding in her room, the petite blonde only saw her roommate only ever wear a simple white hoodie, yet she had piles upon piles of clothes. She supposed she shouldn't judge since it didn't seem like she wore a vast amount of clothes either.

Stepping into the closet, Historia grabbed one of the very few tops of her own that wasn't a sweater, and a pair of black leggings. In her mind, simple went with mercy. No one went to court dressed to the nines if they were looking for an innocent outcome.

Just thinking of the situation made her stomach turn, bile rising into her throat. "Get a hold of yourself," Historia mumbled, running a hand down her face as she shut the closet door to get dressed.

Finally settled on a pair of flats, Historia slid out of her shared room and down the hall. There was no reason to hold this up any longer than necessary. Either the 'inquisition' was going to find her guilty and do whatever they did to her kind, or find her innocent and leave her alone like she wanted.

Her footsteps echoed off the empty hallways; harsh as they repeatedly shattered the silence. The whole house that held the school felt empty. Much too large for the six witches living in it currently.

It was old, standing in the Garden District of New Orleans, and just as beautiful as the architecture of the period. Probably created to show that the owners had money and wanted everyone and their mother to know it. Historia could appreciate the beauty of it, but there was something about the interior that threw her off.

Such an old house yet the inside was minimalistic at best. White and black; sparring accents of gold or a painting of a woman whose name Historia had yet to learn.

Hand perched on the stair rail, she took the stairs as fast as possible. Wincing as she hit the plateau of the final set, she spotted the head of the school at the bottom of the stairs already. "Is everything okay?" Historia asked softly, slowing as she neared the bottom of the extravagant stairwell. "Miss Petra?"

A kind face looked up, then her gaze fell to her latest student and her expression softened. Petra seemed far too gentle to be in her position, at least to Historia. She didn't seem to be much older than the girls she was in charge of, but if what Annie had told her was true, Petra was as fierce as any of them in her own element.

Placing a hand on Historia's cheek, Petra nodded. "Everything will be fine. The Inquisition is just and if what you say is what happened, you have nothing to be afraid of." She said, earning a nod from Historia.

"Now, I need to give you a heads up: they don't come out for just anything, so what you may have heard from the other girls-"

"-I haven't heard anything from the other girls." Historia interrupted, her anxiety rising. Why did she need a warning? If she needed a warning, why wasn't she briefed long before now?

Petra's surprised expression confused Historia. Was she meant to have been told by the other girls? Not that Historia had come face to face with anyone besides Annie and her.

"Okay. Okay, that's a good thing." She smiled, righting herself. "Erwin is acting head of the Inquisition since your mother passed on. He is good at his job, and would do anything to keep us, and you, safe from what could harm us." Petra nodded, leading Historia a few steps at a time toward the formal sitting room. "Hange is… is an experience." She said, trying to form her words carefully. "They are out there, but for good reason. They are intelligent and forward thinking."

A slow exhale came next, pulling Historia to a stop in front of the door. "The final member is Levi. He is strong and has proven himself on many occasions to be worth more than an entire Coven one on one. He's rough when it comes down to it, but he does what's best."

Historia's gaze narrowed a little. "If one person is as strong as an entire Coven, wouldn't that make him the leader?" It made little sense that the powerful one would be blasé about taking second best.

"He follows Erwin's instructions, as we all do." Petra explained, "If it comes down to it, just answer him quickly, with respect and honesty. Erwin has the final say in everything." Patting Historia's back gently, she waited for the blonde to give a sign of being ready before opening the door to let them through. "I'll be with you the whole time. No need to be scared."

Running through all the information she was given, Historia didn't feel prepared regardless of the situation. With her luck, she was probably going to fail this miserably.

Nodding, she waited for the door to open and slipped in before Petra, giving a quick glance to the three seated behind a small coffee table. The Inquisition was vastly different than she imagined. A short man with black hair and a cold stare sat to left. A chiseled man who looked like he belonged in the latest issue of GQ sat in the middle, impassive expression holding his handsome features. To the right sat a person with long brown hair, tied up messily, with glasses. Historia couldn't tell from this distance their gender, but figured that had to be Hange, since Petra never clarified a gender for them.

Alright, cool. My fate is left in the hands of my polar opposite, a model, and someone who looks like their homeless. This will go swimmingly.

"Homeless? That was rude." Hange spoke with an amused laugh, startling Historia.

Her eyes widened, panic setting in. How could she have forgotten some witches could read minds?

Left without words, she stood there, mouth agape for a few seconds, until the man with the dark hair spoke up. "It's not the worst, you've been called, shit-for-brains."

"Wow, even more rude. You might not be as polar opposite as you think, Misses Reiss." Hange smirked, winking at the blonde.

Almost as if the block had left her mouth, Historia spoke quickly, her voice becoming high pitched. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend-"

Hange waved her hand, effectively cutting of Historia's apology. "Calm yourself. There's no need to be fearful of us until you're tied to a stake. Even then it's only Levi you need to be scared of. I've been told he cuts off the circulation when he ties your feet."

"Fuck off," the dark haired man spoke again.

"Guys, can we just get down to it. The longer you do this, the more upset the girls get-"

The man in the middle cleared his throat, causing all of the bickering to come to a halt.

Historia was impressed with his power. It didn't seem like very many people could get the two on either side of him to stop like he did. "Are we done?"

"Tch."

"Why not? We can continue to bicker at dinner, right, Petra?" Hange smiled at the ginger woman, who looked surprised at the question then worried.

Erwin adjusted his seat to get comfortable, his posture as straight as Historia had ever seen. His singing ability must be immaculate with posture like that… She thought, catching the snicker Hange let out. "Would you mind telling us about yourself, Historia? We know so little of you since your father kept you out of our eye." Erwin spoke, taking a file from Levi as he passed it over.

Glancing over to Petra, Historia waited for her approval before speaking. What was she supposed to say? Did they want specifics, or were they talking about her abilities? Like she knew anything about what her abilities were! "Uhm… I'm seventeen. I've almost graduated from high school. I like to sing, and I've taken lessons since I was six because my mother wanted us to have beautiful voices-"

"Do you remember much about Alma?" Levi asked, lounging back against the couch, his dark eyes studying Historia carefully.

"No, sir." Honest and quick. Honest and quick. "I know she was beautiful, and had a voice to match. She wanted Krista, and I to have a voice like Frieda had."

"So you remember Frieda?" Hange interjected this time, looking up from the notes she had been taking.

"Of course. She's my sister…" Historia trailed off, taking a deep breath. "Was my sister, I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize, Historia. Losing family is hard." Petra placed a hand on Historia's shoulder, giving a reassuring smile. "You're doing great."

For the first five minutes. "Frieda was nice to Krista and I. My mother was always busy as the Supreme and my father wasn't there, so she kept us company during the day. I couldn't imagine having a better older sister." Historia said, reaching up to touch Petra's hand in a silent thanks for the encouragement.

"I'm sure she appreciates the kind words," Erwin said, looking at Hange's notes curiously. "I suppose we should stop beating around the bush, Historia. You know why we're here."

"Yes, sir." Historia nodded. There was no reason to continue with formalities if the end was her on a stake. Now if only she could have that twin from her dream's lack of fear of death…

Levi stood up with a file, stretching his back it seemed. "The police have quite a file on what happened. 'Miss Reiss was seen by pedestrians on the rooftop with Thomas Wagner moments before he fell to his death, then heard her cry out for help. Found, crying on the rooftop, seemingly lost and confused.'" He read from the paper without looking up. "Can you explain that, Historia?"

Hearing it out loud made her sound more guilty than what she remembered. Her stomach started to sour again, making her shift uncomfortably. "No, sir. As I told the police, the last thing I remember doing that night was... sitting down to watch TV then I woke up as he stepped off the… the…" Historia took a deep breath, shutting her eyes. "As he fell."

"You realize how suspicious that is, right?" Hange spoke up, quirking an eyebrow.

"I'm aware," she replied. "But you have to understand, if I did something, I would own up to it. I can't hurt anyone let alone lie about it. I've never been a good liar and you can read my mind! You have to know I'm recalling what I remember and not making things up."

Hange shook their head, "I wish I could help, but I don't have retrocognition or cognition in general. All I know is what's going on in this moment."

"I don't understand why we're doing this in the first place," Petra spoke up, looking at Levi. "It isn't like she harmed a witch-"

"I didn't harm anyone!" Historia pipped up, furrowing her brow.

Levi snorted, sitting back down and passing over the file to Erwin. "You're getting defensive, Miss Reiss."

As Historia went to defend herself again, Erwin's commanding tone snatched her attention. "Historia," Easing back into her seat fully, Historia watched Erwin, her face losing emotion. "We investigate for the sake of keeping us a secret. The last time that people got a scent of us, we were drowned and burned at the stake. England to Salem. Salem to New Orleans."

The elder blond came forward on his seat. "We've been here for over two hundred years, safely. We will not let the outside world take us down because one witch can't control her powers."

Historia kept her eyes on Erwin, mimicking his impassive expression with an empty one of her own. Her headmistress could say what she wanted about Levi being the strongest in the Inquisition, but Erwin held the power, and that power was the only thing that kept Historia's mouth sealed shut.

"Erwin, that is a little overboard for a young witch." Petra said, looking to Levi or Hange for someone to back her up. "Everyone here has been seen by the population, but they never know what happened."

"She has a point," Hange put their pen down, looking to their superior and inquisitor.

Levi rested his head on his hand, staring dead on at Historia, as if bored with the entire scenario. "One last question: what powers has she shown?"

She is right here. Historia thought, not bothering to hold her tongue inside her mind since Hange seemed to keep it to themselves.

The young woman at her side sat up straighter, glancing at Historia. "Historia? As far as we've seen, she's only shown signs of siren song, like most Reiss girls."

Siren song? Historia blinked a few times. What did that mean?

"Is it strong?" Erwin asked next, brow furrowing slightly.

"Nothing to be worried about. They've been keeping her under lock and key for most of her life, so I doubt she has had anyone to practice on in order to make her voice stronger. There hasn't been someone with a strong voice since Frieda, and even then she couldn't force someone to jump off a building."

"Bless her heart," Hange said, shaking their head as they scribbled.

Quieting herself, Historia made a mental note to bring up her sister and her… whatever they called it. Gift, power, ability; they all meant the same thing.

"Anything else we should know, Historia?" Petra spoke up, patting Historia's hand softly.

"No, ma'am…" Historia answered quickly, then giving it thought. "I mean, there were times when things moved when I looked at them as a child but my mother said that sometimes witches coming into their magic flex our muscles without thinking about it. I haven't been able to since I was seven or eight."

Petra took a deep breath before turning her attention to those across from them. "Is that all you need to know?"

The three inquisitors went quiet, as if mulling over the information given from Historia. Hange was the first to speak. "Erwin, you're a good judge of character. What's your say on the verdict of the case?"

Standing up, the towering man seemed much more intimidating. He made the right face for the Inquisition, even if he delegated the 'good cop, bad cop' routine to Hange and Levi. "We'll be keeping an eye on you, Historia. As you continue to flower, your powers will need to be kept under control. We will not stand for any more deaths to draw attention to the Coven." Erwin leaned over, shaking Petra's hand as if a business meeting had transpired instead of a judgement on someone's life.

Levi was the next to get up, leaving the room before the others. "That was a giant waste of time if we weren't going to burn her. Did you really have to see her in person?"

The brunet opposite Historia smiled at her, putting away the note pad. "Don't take it personally, Historia. Levi hates everyone because he doesn't like getting close to people."

The young witch stood up with a sigh, still uneasy about the entire thing. Hange laid a hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "If you ever want to put your powers to the test, have Petra get a hold of me. I have a friend who can help." They grinned before running to catch up with the two.

Once everyone had left the room, Historia sat back down and let out a pent up breath. "What the actual fuck…" She said, putting her head in her hands as her thoughts raced around. She wasn't going to be burned at a stake or drowned, but why did she feel like she was going to heave regardless?

"Probably because you haven't eaten more than a stack of crackers in two days, dumb ass." She said to herself, closing her eyes to try and straighten herself out.

Four days in, infinite amount of them to go.

* * *

As always, you can find me on findingmyownhonor on tumblr, or leave feedback here!


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